


Day 1

by Tieleen



Category: Sports Night
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:58:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1305685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tieleen/pseuds/Tieleen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What I'm saying," Casey says, "is that if what you're after is my attention and cooperation, 'Here's what I find problematic about your everything' isn't a good conversation opener."</p><p>"I care neither about your attention nor your cooperation," Dana says. "What I'm after is you shutting up, listening up, and then doing exactly what I tell you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristin/gifts).



"What I'm saying," Casey says, "is that if what you're after is my attention and cooperation, 'Here's what I find problematic about your everything' isn't a good conversation opener."

"I care neither about your attention nor your cooperation," Dana says. "What I'm after is you shutting up, listening up, and then doing exactly what I tell you."

Casey raises his eyebrows. "That's somehow different from what I said, right?"

The eight o'clock rundown is half an hour away. Dana has about ten things to do before it starts, but now she's invested in this. She's a very efficient woman; she can get it all done in time. This won't be the first time that she's lost five minutes of her working life to Casey's smugness.

"No, I get it," Dan says from the couch. "Your way does kind of imply you have a choice."

"Exactly," Dana says. "Dan, have I told you lately you've always been my favorite?"

Dan shrugs. "I've always pretty much assumed."

"This is all very sweet," Casey says. He's pointedly flipping pages in a notebook, pen already in hand. "Now that we've cleared this up, shall we go on and write a show?"

Dana crosses her arms. "No, you shall go on and listen to me when I tell you that whatever your feelings about this function are, not only are you and Danny going to show up to it, I'm never going to hear about it again beyond 'Does this tuxedo make me look fat, Dana?' I'm especially not going to hear about it for twenty minutes while I'm trying to have a rundown meeting. I'm _really_ especially not going to hear about it while I'm repeatedly trying to find out how your script is going. And actually, just go ahead and direct all clothing-related questions to Dan. I'm sure he'll give you his honest opinion."

"I'm not sure you really have what it takes for skinny lapels," Dan says promptly. "I've been thinking that for a while."

"Yes, Danny, I know," Casey says. "You've told me that every single time you've seen me wearing that tux."

"Well, maybe now is the time to test that theory," Dana says. "You can poll people about it while you mingle."

Casey holds his hands up. It's two shades away from defensive and four away from Placate the Crazy Woman, so Dana decides not to thwack him with the script in her hand. "Dana, I realize you care a lot about this thing, but I just think –"

The hell with it. Dana thwacks him anyway. "I know, Casey, believe me. I'm entirely clear on every single thought you've had on this. The fact is that the network wants you there, Isaac wants you there, I want you there –"

"The purpose of this entire thing is –"

"Casey, I really couldn't care less," Dana says. "You know what? I'd go so far as to say I _could_ care less. I care so little that logic has no meaning in this instance and bizarre common misuses will do."

She enjoys – actually, she relishes – the look of real pain on Casey's face. Behind her, Dan whistles his appreciation, because they both know Casey is a crazy person.

Casey rallies, though. Of course he rallies. "Dana," he says, "this is going to be an awful evening. They're celebrating some of the stupidest things this network has to offer. None of it is remotely related to my job, this show, or any sport that's ever existed. You know how I'm so sure about all of that? Because none of the rest of you has to go."

"Dan has to go," Dana points out. "Dan's going and he's prepared notes on your sartorial choices."

"Dan has a crush on Maggie Keegan," Casey says. "He's not operating on any kind of real priorities right now."

"Really?" Dana says, because she hasn't heard anything about this. She makes a mental note to make sure Natalie knows. Natalie has no power over Dana's wardrobe and technically no real way to withhold any parts of it, but Dana didn't get where she is today by taking stupid risks. "Maggie Keegan? Do I know who that is?"

"She's on one of those stupidest-things-this-network-has-to-offer we're celebrating," Dan says. He crosses his ankles and stretches his arms up and grins, any last pretense of still working on his script gone. "A lovely woman."

"She can't act," Casey says.

"Good acting isn't really one of the things I look for in a relationship," Dan says. "You might even say I actively seek to avoid it."

Dana's known Dan for a long time, and she isn't so sure she agrees, but it's a nice sentiment.

"Well, it's one of the things I look for in an actress," Casey says. "You might even say it's the only thing I look for. So I'm not so sure what I'm supposed to tell these people while we _mingle_."

"You could tell them you have a friend who thinks bad acting is what they should really aspire to," Dana says. "Also, you could say 'Congratulations on drawing enough people to my network that I can keep doing my job'."

"That was both inaccurate and depressing," Casey says, and since one of those things is a little true and the other is very, very true, Dana decides to leave the field and go feel satisfied in her victory while actually doing her job.

"See you at the rundown, fellas," she says, turning to go. "Dan, please don't spend it telling us about Maggie Keegan, either. At the very least wait until tomorrow."

"She's not even really that bad an actress," Dan says, and Dana leaves Casey to his fate with a spring in her step. "There's this one scene where she's -–"

"Why are you watching that show?" Casey says behind her. "No, wait. Don't tell me. I don't want to hear about Maggie Keegan, either."

"It's a pretty emotional scene, because her dad is… Well, I'm not really sure what's happening with her dad -–"

Kim rushes by with an armful of folders as Dana is closing Dan and Casey's office door behind her, and Dana gives her a big, bright smile. Kim quirks an eyebrow but still grins back without asking any questions, rushing off around a corner.

"Revenge is sweet," Dana informs Chris, who's sitting hunched over a computer.

"That's good," he says, not looking up. "Sound is a pain in the ass."

Dana slaps him on the shoulder. "Rundown in twenty," she says, and goes off to do her ten things.


End file.
